The Harkin Institute is excited to announce this Spring’s Sussman Lecture, “Pain and Politics in the Heart of America” with Dr. Jennifer Silva. Dr. Silva will discuss the economic, social, and cultural challenges currently facing America’s working class and how those challenges have impacted the ability of the working class to achieve the American Dream. Dr. Silva has written two books surrounding these topics, Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty and We’re Still Here: Pain and Politics in the Heart of America. In Coming Up Short, Dr. Silva conducted one hundred interviews with working class residents in two towns-Lowell, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Virginia, and shed light on their experience of heightened economic insecurity, deepening inequality, and uncertainty about marriage and family. In We’re Still Here, Dr. Silva conducted more than a hundred interviews of Black, white, and Latino working-class residents of a declining coal town in Pennsylvania to examine the civic and political disengagement of working-class people.
Date: March 6, 2024
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. CT
Location: Tom and Ruth Harkin Center (2800 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311)
Registration: This event is free and open to the public but registration via Eventbrite is required.
Accomodations: American Sign Language (ASL) and Live Captioning (CART) will be provided for both in person and virtual attendees. Additional accomodation requests can be made by emailing harkininstitute@drake.edu.
The Constitutional Law Center’s Distinguished Lecture Series brings to campus the nation’s leading constitutional scholars to engage students and faculty on the important issues of the day. Speakers deliver a formal lecture, teach a class, and meet with students in informal settings.
WHAT WE DO: The Writing Center’s trained peer tutors advise and assist students at any stage of the writing process:
Understanding instructions/prompts
Generating ideas and ways to develop ideas
Outlining and organizing
Writing, expanding, revising, and/or copyediting a draft
We are a free service for all Drake students, including graduate students and those in professional programs.
HOW TO SIGN UP TO VISIT: Please go to https://library.drake.edu/writing-center/ to book an appointment with a tutor—instructions for booking and visiting are available on the site as well. Appointments are approximately 30 minutes, and students can sign up for more than one session if they wish. They may also request that a tutor keep a regular time slot available for them if they would like to come in each week.
WHERE WE ARE: Reminder: the Writing Center has moved! We are still on the lower level of Cowles Library—please follow signs to find our new, larger, more comfortable space. We offer hours daily, from mornings to late afternoon/evening (including weekends). Students with health concerns can request an appointment on Zoom.
FOR FACULTY AND STAFF: If you refer a student to the workshop or require all students to visit, please let us know via email (megan.brown@drake.edu). Ask students to bring their assignment prompt/instructions to the Writing Center, as well as any writing they have done so far. When students are referred, or required, to visit, the tutor will email you to let you know that your student has attended and briefly describe what work was done. When students attend on their own, we do not inform professors unless they specifically ask us to do so.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS please contact Prof. Megan Brown, Director of Writing (megan.brown@drake.edu).
The Global Citizen Forum is comprised of a series of events drawing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a thematic lens, taking place annually in the spring semester.
The Forum was established as the co-curricular arm of the Engaged Citizen Experience, part of the Drake Curriculum which aims to ensure students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes through coursework and classroom and community activities. The ECE seeks to mobilize the entire campus community to discuss a critical theme or global issue.
The 2024 Global Citizen Forum will take place March 6–8.
J-Term Travel Fair Wednesday, March 6, at 4:30pm – 6:30pm Upper Olmsted
Interested in traveling next J-Term? Come learn more about the J-Term travel seminars to be offered in 2025 from the program leaders themselves!
On a Drake travel seminar, students can explore the world alongside their fellow Bulldogs and professors. Travel seminars run during J-Term or summer and are typically between one to three weeks in length. Past program locations have included Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. If you are finding it difficult to fit a semester study abroad experience into your program—due to time constraints, financial obstacles, or personal reasons—this may be an excellent option for you. With your Drake community by your side, you’ll develop new relationships with fellow Drake students and professors, and create long-lasting memories that will serve you long after your time abroad.
Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, please join us for a networking breakfast with Drake faculty and staff as well as Drake’s global partners, a special presentation by Robert Ludke, expert on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Strategies and Harkin Institute Senior Fellow, with moderated discussion but Dean Alejandro Hernandez, and the presentation of the 2024 Faculty Global Citizenship Award!
Hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship, in partnership with the Politics/IR, International Business, and LPS departments, this event brings together an interdisciplinary panel of Drake faculty to talk about topics related to global ‘development’ and creating a more just, prosperous future for all the world’s inhabitants. This panel asks simply, “How do we make the world better?” This question opens the door for discussion along two main avenues: first, what sets of practical policies, social arrangements, and economic configurations might be worth looking at to make the world better; and second, what courses of international, coordinated action might be taken in order to achieve those goals? The panel will rely on the panelists’ expertise, as well as observations about existing international trends and institutions in their discussion.
Panelists include Dr. Kieran Williams, Dr. Jeffrey A. Kappen, Dr. Ali Malik, and Dr. Leanne Purdum.
Join us at the Harkin Institute auditorium for the special screening of the Iowa PBS documentary Citizen Diplomacy, with an introduction by the film’s producer, Dave Miller. Following the screening will be a commentative panel moderated by Dr. David Skidmore, including Iowans featured in the film such as World Food Prize President Emeritus and former U.S. Ambassador Ken Quinn, Roger Engstrom, and Sofia Fernandez.
**Registration for this event is encouraged but not required**
The purpose of the Nelson Student Research Symposia is to recognize and share high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics. Students presenting research are encouraged to have their topics align with one (or more!) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a framework for tackling complex global pressing issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice. Student presentations will be roughly 15 minutes each.
In honor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, join the Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center and office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a mental health panel March 22 focused on disrupting the harmful narratives given to marginalized communities, and an open discussion on ways to enhance worth and belonging in the face of social injustice. Participants will also receive free self-care prizes and free food, and admitted students will have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win additional self-care prizes, such as weighted blankets, self-help books, and MORE! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a taste of the culture of inclusivity, belonging, and well-being at Drake! Register here.
When: March 22nd from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Where: Parents Hall South
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center
Stop by the Olmsted breezeway Feb. 26, March 25, or April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m. to chat with counselors from the student counseling center. This is a chance to get answers to questions related to mental health and receive free coffee from local coffee shops!
When: February 26, March 25, and April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m. Where: Breezeway, Olmsted
— Kayla Bell-Consolver, Broadlawns Drake University Student Counseling Center
Science on Screen, a collaboration between Varsity Cinema, STEM Librarian Dan Chibnall, and STEM@DRAKE, launches Feb. 27 with a screening of the sci-fi/horror classic The Thing, introduced by Shauna Kaplan, associate professor of biology. Buy tickets.
Kaplan’s introduction will explore how different diseases spread in our society. Some transmit directly from one person to another, others are spread from an insect bite, such as a tick or mosquito, and some spread from animal to human. Before watching The Thing, she will talk about how some diseases transmit from an animal to a human easily, while others are much more difficult, and whether once the disease is in a human if it can transmit to another human, using influenza as the main example.
The Thing is a sci-fi/horror classic from director John Carpenter. Set on a science research station in the Antarctic, an American research team has a strange encounter with their Norwegian counterparts, including a husky dog who is not what it seems. This film explores science and sci-fi concepts such as biological transmission of disease, paranoia, seclusion, social anxiety, and alienation.
This is the first of three films in the series coming to Varsity Cinema this spring. The next film in the series will be Blackberry, March 26, with an introduction by SJMC professor Chris Snider on the evolution of and relationship with our mobile devices particularly smartphones. The final film will be Galaxy Quest on April 30with an introduction by professor Charlie Nelson on our fascination with the concept of extraterrestrials.
Science on Screen series schedule:
Film: John Carpenter’s The Thing Tuesday, Feb. 27: talk begins at 6:30 p.m., film shortly after, no later than 7 p.m. Special Guest Speaker: Associate Professor Shauna Kaplan, Biology & Microbiology, Drake University Presentation Title: Diseases that Transmit Between Animals and Humans Description: Different diseases spread (known as transmission) in different modes. Some transmit directly from one person to another, others are spread from an insect bite, such as a tick or mosquito, and some spread from animal to humans. Before watching The Thing, we will talk about how some diseases transmit from an animal to a human easily, while other are much more difficult, and whether if once the disease is in a human if it can transmit to another human, using influenza as the main example. Tickets: On sale now https://varsitydesmoines.com/purchase/381564/
Film: Blackberry Tuesday, March 26: talk begins at 6:30 p.m., film shortly after, no later than 7 p.m. Special Guest Speaker: Associate Professor Chris Snider, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Drake University Presentation Title: “Don’t Silence Your Phones” Description: How our smartphones went from email-obsessed devices to powerful movie-making tools that fit in our pocket. This presentation from Drake University School of Journalism multimedia professor Chris Snider will discuss the evolution of smartphones, which are now used to film major motion pictures. Snider will also share some tips for all of us to unleash our movie-making abilities. Tickets: Will go on sale in mid-March
Film: Galaxy Quest Tuesday, April 30: talk begins at 6:30 p.m., film shortly after, no later than 7 p.m. Special Guest Speaker: Associate Professor Charlie Nelson, Physics & Astronomy, Drake University Presentation Title & Description: TBA Tickets: Will go on sale in mid-April
Science on Screen is a national initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
University Communications and Marketing will hold professional headshot sessions Thursday, Feb. 29, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Old Main, Conference Room 115. The sessions are free to all students, faculty, and staff. High-resolution portraits are made available for download 2–4 weeks after the photos are taken. Images can be downloaded at https://drakeuniversity.smugmug.com/Headshots-1.
— Jimmy Hoover, University Communications and Marketing
In honor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, join the Broadlawns Drake Student Counseling Center and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a mental health panel focused on disrupting the harmful narratives given to marginalized communities, and an open discussion on ways to enhance worth and belonging in the face of social injustice. Participants will also receive free self-care prizes and free food, and admitted students will have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win additional self-care prizes, such as weighted blankets, self-help books, and MORE! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience a taste of the culture of inclusivity, belonging, and well-being at Drake! Register here.
When/Where: March 22nd, 2:30-4:30pm, Parents Hall South
